In news- State governments of Himachal Pradesh & Haryana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently for building a dam in the Adi Badri as part of a project aimed at rejuvenating the Saraswati river.
Key updates-
- A MoU was signed for the construction of a dam in Himachal Pradesh on 77 acres, near the Adi Badri area of Haryana’s YamunaNagar district.
- As per the Haryana government, the extinct Saraswati river will get revived with the construction of Adi Badri dam.
- It also claimed that the presence of Saraswati river has been proved through satellites.
- For conducting research on it, a chair has been set up at the Kurukshetra University. Besides, the Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board has also been established.
- The Haryana government has notified an area of 200 km from Adi Badri to Ghaggar river via Kaithal for Saraswati river.
- The objective of this project is to revive Saraswati as well as increasing the groundwater level. With commissioning of the dam, the flood situation arising out of excessive rainfall during rainy days will also be dealt with.
- The project would also be of use for Himachal Pradesh as 3.92 hectare meters water per annum would be earmarked for the State for its drinking water requirements, and 57.96 hectare meters for irrigation water demand in project-affected habitations.
- A portion of the Somb river — a tributary of the Yamuna that passes through Adi Badri — will be diverted to the Rs 215-crore dam from where it will flow into the stream of the Saraswati river.
- Both states have believed that the course of the Ghaggar river is believed to be the course of the Saraswati river.
- With the construction of the dam, the Saraswati river would flow throughout the year with 20 cusecs of water all the time.
About Saraswati river-
- The Sarasvati River is an extinct river mentioned in the Rig Veda and later Vedic and post-Vedic texts.
- The river flowed through Haryana, Rajasthan and North Gujarat and flowed through Pakistan before meeting Western Sea through Rann of Kutch.
- It originated from Kapal tirth in the Himalayas in the west of Kailash.
- The Sarasvati is considered by Hindus to exist in a metaphysical form, in which it formed a confluence with the sacred rivers Ganges and Yamuna, at the Triveni Sangam.
- Book 6 of the Rig Veda includes hymn praises of the Saraswati as being “perfect mother, unsurpassed river, supreme goddess”.
- For 2000 years, between 6000 and 4000 B.C the Saraswati flowed as a great river.
Source: https://journalsofindia.com/mythical-saraswati-river/
Source: Hindustan Times
